Bolivians on Monday began looking to a future without the ruling socialists of the past two decades, after the first round of presidential and parliamentary elections were won by a resurgent right.
The Movement towards Socialism (MAS), in power since iconic leader Evo Morales was elected to the presidency in 2005, suffered a cataclysmic defeat in Sunday’s elections over its handling of a severe economic crisis.
The party’s presidential candidate Eduardo del Castillo garnered just 3.1 percent of the vote in the South American nation.
MAS also lost nearly all its Congress seats to the opposition, led by centre-right senator Rodrigo Paz and right-wing ex-president Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga, who snagged the two places in October’s presidential run-off.
Franz Yupangui, a 49-year-old lecturer in